Rebuilding
by anni
Summary: Cordelia has to go back to Sunnydale, and drags the whole gang with her. C/A
1. Default Chapter

Title: Rebuilding  
  
Author: Anni  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Email: asleeper@email.arizona.edu  
  
Content: /A, touch of F/G and maybe D/C  
  
Summary: Cordy has to go back to Sunnydale and drags the gang with her  
  
Spoilers: Basic season three of Angel and season six of Buffy.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.  
  
Distribution: Nothing-Fancy. Anyone else, just let me know  
  
Notes: Angel is out of the box, Cordy is back from the higher realms, Wes and Connor are both with the group. And I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this. I started this before the season actually started, so a lot of it won't make sense now, but whatever! ;)  
  
Feedback: Pretty, pretty please! I'll be your best friend!  
  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
  
"What about that girl that works at the juice bar across the street?" Cordy asked, cutting another piece of her waffle to bring it up to her mouth. "She seems like she's a real cutie. What's her name again?"  
  
"Julie," Connor answered around the eggs in his mouth. "She's alright."  
  
"Alright? Connor, she seems more than alright. I think you should go and get her number. Or I could do it for you if you really need." Cordy broke off as she saw Angel approach her and Connor where they were sharing breakfast at the lobby counter. "Shh, don't let Angel know what we're talking about, okay?"  
  
"Good morning!" Angel told them, giving Connor a pat on the back before walking around the counter to give Cordy a kiss. Pulling back, he moved to the fridge to get his own breakfast. "Whatcha talking about?"  
  
"Oh, this and that," Cordy told him, smiling widely. "Just enjoying a quiet breakfast."  
  
"Cordy's trying to set me up with Julie who works at the juice bar across the street," Connor told his father, smiling innocently at the wide-eyed woman across from him.  
  
"I told you not to say anything, punk," Cordelia hissed at him.  
  
"Cordy!" Angel stalked over to the counter to stand beside her, staring down with a frustrated expression. "I thought I told you to stop doing that. Connor is to young and too new to this world to be worrying about dating."  
  
"Pfft," Cordy scoffed. "Connor is nearly seventeen years old. How can you say that that is too young when you have been known to date a few seventeen- year olds yourself. Though if you ever choose to travel down that road again, I will stake you in every major organ you have, ending with the heart!"  
  
"Cordy, that's hardly the point," Angel countered, dropping down onto the stool next to hers.  
  
"And," she moved on as though he hadn't spoken. "He got his first piece of action within his first twenty-four hours of being in this dimension. And that was with a drug addict! I'm just trying to set him up with nice girl named Julie who has brown hair, blue eyes, and an after-school job at the juice bar across the street."  
  
"Wait, what do you mean 'his first piece of action'? The druggie, Connor? You had action with the druggie?" Angel turned his hot gaze onto his son. "I thought you guys were just friends."  
  
"Please, Angel. What guy hasn't used the 'just friends' excuse," Cordy broke in before Connor had the chance to respond. "It just shows that Connor is male, which we knew, and that Connor is also your son, which we also knew."  
  
"I don't use 'just friend' excuses, Cor," Angel shot back, smoothing his hand across her back and dropping a kiss on her forehead. "That was you. And Connor, you still have to answer my question."  
  
Connor looked up from his breakfast, wide-eyed. He didn't want to have this conversation with his dad. The sex talk had been too entirely uncomfortable with all the stuttering and the hand motions. He had been so confused that he had had to have a follow up session with Cordy and Fred. Fred's diagrams and graphs had been very helpful.  
  
Cordy shook her head as the boy turned a pleading gaze on her. "Nu-uh. I told you not to tell him what we were talking about. You brought this on yourself."  
  
Rolling his eyes at her response, Angel turned back to his son. "I'm still waiting. I specifically told you no dating until you were twenty-five."  
  
Both Cordelia and Connor rolled their eyes at his reprimand. "Why does he have to wait until he's twenty-five, Angel?" Cordy asked, her voice light and teasing. These breakfasts were her favorite time of day. "I'm not even that old yet. Does that mean that I am not old enough to date?"  
  
"What? No!" Angel responded immediately.  
  
"Because if twenty-five is the age that one starts to have romantic privileges, then that means that we are going to have to wait another three and a half years."  
  
"That's not what I meant, Cordy," Angel tried to break in.  
  
"So, no more dating, or kissing, or touching, or anything else of the guy- girl nature because I am just too young for that sort of thing," Cordelia said, shaking her fork at him for emphasis. "Pervert!"  
  
Angel stared at her raised eyebrows, waving fork, and haughty expression. Damn! How did she always get the best of him? "How about twenty?"  
  
Connor and Cordy both laughed, turning back to their breakfast. "Angel, Connor is a young man, and he needs outside influences on his life. He needs friends, and girl friends, that are his own age. Its not healthy for him to always be hanging out in the gloom and doom with a bunch of old folks."  
  
Angel frowned down at his glass of blood. How come Cordy only made sense when it was to prove him wrong at something? That sucked.  
  
Cordelia leaned over and planted a big wet kiss on Angel's pouting cheek. "Our boy is growing up, Angel. And there's nothing that we can do about it. except for pick out the girls that we like so that he doesn't end up with some weird druggie girl."  
  
"Hey, Sonny was my friend!" Connor protested.  
  
"I think we've already established that that excuse won't work, son," Angel told him, feeling resigned to the fact that Cordy was probably right again. And judging by the huge smile on her face, she knew it to be true.  
  
"Now, now, boys. Its not that bad," Cordelia smiled. God, she loved these guys. They were whole life, and she loved how easy it was sometimes to just bend them to her will.  
  
She just loved her life sometimes.  
  
Cordy was interrupted from her thoughts as the shrill ring of the phone echoed through the lobby. Her two boys watched as she got up to answer the phone. "Angel Investigations. We help the helpless." She paused for a moment, listening to the caller, before speaking again. "This is she."  
  
Realizing that it was a personal call, and she would be distracted for a while, Angel turned back to his son. "Don't let her cow you into going out with someone you don't want to," he said, watching as his son scooped Cordy's abandoned waffles onto his own plate, having already devoured his own food. She was not going to be happy about that. "My advice is to run the other way every time she even so much as brings up the subject of dating."  
  
"Julie's not really so bad," Connor answered. Angel tried not to cringe as he spoke with his mouth full. "She's pretty, at least. She doesn't seem to be very smart, though. But Cordy said that didn't matter that much because I was just starting out dating. She just said that I should stay away from the druggies and the blondes."  
  
Angel rolled his eyes at that, speaking loudly so that Cordelia could hear him over her phone conversation. "Well, just as long as you've got the dating priorities straight."  
  
Looking over his father's shoulder to see that Cordelia was not paying any attention to their conversation, Connor looked imploringly at his father. "Actually, if you could lend me a helping hand, I need her to stop trying to set me up. I don't want to upset her, but this is the fourth girl this week. Gunn says that she's acting like my pimp when she's supposed to be my mother figure! I don't know how to make her stop though!"  
  
Angel nodded sympathetically. "If only I knew the answer, Connor. But she's been bowling me over for the last four years, and I have yet to figure out how to get her to stop." Reaching across the counter, he patted his son's arm comfortingly. "I'll be there for you, son. I'll do what I can."  
  
Connor smiled, relief evident in his features. The smile wiped clean, and he ducked his head down into his breakfast as Cordy hung up the phone. "Shh, she's coming back."  
  
"Hey Cor!" Angel exclaimed, trying to sound casual so not to tip her off to what their conversation had been.  
  
Cordelia sat down next to him very slowly, looking over with an almost stunned expression. She did not even seem to notice his goofiness.  
  
"Cordelia, what's wrong?" Angel asked, a small amount of panic seeping in at the seriousness of her expression. Turning in his seat so that he could take both of her hands tightly in his, he scooted forward to kiss her reassuringly on the forehead. "Baby, what happened?"  
  
Focusing her eyes in on him, she spoke clearly; saying the last words Angel had expected to come from her mouth.  
  
"We have to go to Sunnydale."  
  
**************************************  
  
"I don't understand," Angel said, watching as Cordelia opened a suitcase on his bed and began packing a few days' worth of his clothes in it. "Why do I have to go to Sunnydale too?"  
  
"Because, I need you guys. All of you," she told him, dropping a small stack of shirts (none black) into the case and coming to stand in front of him. "But I need you especially." Reaching up to plant a train of soft kisses along his jaw, she ran her fingers lightly up his arm and across his shoulders to loop her hands around his neck. "And since you are such a lovely man, and since you love me so much, then you will be the perfect boyfriend and come with me."  
  
Angel wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her lithe body close against his. Dropping his head into the crook of her shoulder, he let himself just relish for a moment how great it was just to be in her embrace. They had not been together long, but Angel knew, without a doubt, that he would never get tired of being wrapped up in her.  
  
But then, the reality of the situation settled back in, and Angel couldn't stop himself from moaning into the skin of her neck. He didn't want to go back to Sunnydale. He didn't want her to go back to Sunnydale. "Why do you even have to go?" he whined.  
  
Stepping back, Cordelia smiled up at him, reaching up to pull him down for a quick kiss. "I told you. They rebuilt Sunnydale High, and are doing this big grand reopening ceremony. And since I was captain of the cheerleading squad the year it blew up, they want me to come back and participate in some of the festivities."  
  
Slumping down onto his bed in a pout, Angel watched glumly as she planned out all of his outfits. Light blue, maroon, and green shirts were being folded neatly along side some black pants, a few undershirts, and a couple of boxers (again, none being black). Finishing up after of a few minutes of silence, Cordelia zipped up the suitcase, and turned to flash a wide smile at him.  
  
"Angel, it's not going to be that bad," she told him, plopping down on the bed beside him. "Its just Sunnydale. You spent nearly a month down at the body of the ocean. This is only going to be a few days. That hardly compares."  
  
"I wouldn't bet on that," he mumbled grumpily, refusing to break even as she sidled up closer to him, throwing her legs across his lap, wrapping her arms around his torso, and settling her chin on his shoulder. "And how come you're so excited to go back? Its not like Sunnydale has ever been your favorite place in the world. You haven't even thought of going back in the last four years."  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's why I think it might be fun," she said, dropping a light kiss against his shoulder. "Being back in the town I grew up. Seeing the bronze, seeing old friends, seeing my old high school."  
  
"Where we all almost died horribly," he said pointedly.  
  
Lifting up his arm and bringing it around her shoulders, Cordy snuggled even closer. "Come on, Angel. It won't be all that bad." Lowering her voice, and stretching out to drop a light kiss against the shell of his ear, she continued, "And we won't be at the ceremony all that long. We'll also have quite a bit of time alone in our very own hotel room."  
  
Resisting the urge to shiver as her tongue came out to slightly taste his skin, he grumbled at her, "We have a perfectly fine hotel room here."  
  
Laughing lightly at him, Cordelia shifted over so that she was sitting all the way on his lap. "Come on, Angel. It could be fun. And I'll be wearing that itty-bitty cheerleading outfit. Maybe I'll even bring it home with me."  
  
Angel stared down at her, his eyes glazing over momentarily. "Sunnydale's not so bad," he told her.  
  
Cordy rolled her eyes at him. "That's right. Like I said, buckets o' fun."  
  
Knowing that he would eventually give in, Angel decided that even though it was a sure thing, he was not going to make it easy on her. "Fun? Like the type of fun where they crush all of your fingers and toes, jab hot pokers through all of your limbs, and cut open your stomach to slowly remove your intestines. Is that the type of fun you mean?"  
  
Cordy smiled widely at him, giggling at his protests. He could be just too cute sometimes. "Maybe not quite that fun, but pretty damned close."  
  
Groaning in complaint, Angel wrapped both his arms around her, locking his hands just over her hip, and buried in his face in the soft pillow of her hair. "Please don't make me do this, Cordy. I'll love you forever if we can just stay here."  
  
"Angel, I have to go. and you'll love me forever regardless, buster."  
  
Pulling back to look her square in the eye, he decided it was time to pull of the big guns. "Cordy, there are people there that I don't think either of us wants to see."  
  
She scrunched her face up at the seriousness of his expression. "I was wondering how long it would be before you pulled out that card," she said. "And speak for yourself about not wanting to see them. They were my friends. some of the time. and I haven't seen them for almost four years. If they're there, I think that it would be good to see them all again."  
  
"But Cor."  
  
"No, Angel," she interrupted. "It's been a long time since we've seen them, and they have all probably changed as much as we have. It would be good to see them, to get to know them all over again, to let them get to know us all over again."  
  
Avoiding her gaze, Angel turned this idea over in his head. He didn't really agree with her. There lives were so separate from the Scoobies now, and he didn't really think that that was something they would easily grasp. Those people she called her friends did not know all about the sacrifices she had made or all the amazing things that she had done in the past few years. They still knew her as the snooty cheerleader, which was the main reason they were going back to Sunnydale.  
  
He didn't want to see Cordy back in that world.  
  
And there was also the entire Buffy issue. A part of him would always love her, but she didn't have a place in his world anymore. He had been torn down by their relationship, and it had taken him forever to rebuild. But he finally had, and Buffy was not a part of that process, or of that product.  
  
He didn't want to see himself back in that world.  
  
Meeting her eyes once again, and focusing in on the beautiful smile and hopeful eyes, he realized that he didn't have a choice. "Right."  
  
"It's not like we will definitely see them, only if they show up at the ceremony. And its not like I have anything to worry about if they do, right?" she said, raising a challenging eyebrow.  
  
"Right," he affirmed with a small smile.  
  
"Good." Breaking his embrace to stand up, she grasped both of his hands to pull him up too.  
  
"When do we leave, and how long do we have to stay there?" Angel asked, doing his best to keep the whine from his voice. He remembered the days when that had never been a problem, the days when he had been a badass vamp and not so firmly planted under Cordy's thumb.  
  
"I am going to leave tonight because I have to be there early so that we can practice whatever it is that we're doing. You guys will leave tomorrow night. I'll set up the hotel rooms. One for us, one for Fred and Gunn, and one for Wes and Connor," she said, turning to pull his suitcase off the bed and bring it to the door. "You all will be there for three nights. The ceremony is the second night, and the party at the Bronze is the third. We can come home after that."  
  
"Oh joy," he returned flatly, watching finished arranging his stuff.  
  
"Right," she smiled widely, coming back to stand beside him. "Everyone else is already packing to go, though you might want to check to make sure Connor's got all the stuff he needs. Oh, and make sure he has something nice to wear to the Bronze because there will be a lot of cute girls his age there."  
  
"Cordy, I don't think."  
  
"So," she broke in with a short laugh. "I have to go home and pack, and then leave right away, so I won't see you until tomorrow."  
  
"Okay," he replied with at frown. "Be careful in Sunnydale though. That's a dangerous place."  
  
"And I'm a dangerous woman," she returned with a teasing purr, wrapping him up in another hug.  
  
"Ain't that the truth," Angel returned, letting his first smile in the conversation wash over his lips. His hands smoothed up over her back, pulling her closer.  
  
"And don't you forget it!"  
  
Angel's head bent down gently lay his lips over hers. Her arms tightened across his back as she strained up to reach more of him. For a precious few minutes, the only sounds in the room came from the couple's embrace.  
  
Pulling back with a soft smile, Cordy gave him one last hug before turning and heading to the door. "Don't worry, Angel. This will be fun!"  
  
Staring at the door long after she departed, Angel let out a snort. "Famous last words." 


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2 Wes climbed over the front seat and slid in next to Fred. "What is this rubbish?" he asked as he buckled his seat belt.  
  
  
  
"This isn't 'rubbish,' English," Gunn shot from front of the car, where he was turning up the volume to the CD he had just put in. "This is Nelly."  
  
  
  
"Nelly? That doesn't sound like a woman," Wes responded, scooting over to make room for Connor.  
  
  
  
"I have an aunt in Texas named Nelly," Fred broke in before Gunn could respond. "She always made us the most delicious cinnamon cookies when we were little. Every time we went over to her house, we got as many as we wanted. But then, after a couple of years of having a bunch of cinnamon cookies every Sunday, we all got kinda sick of them." Fred turned to Connor with a thoughtful look. "I think that's why I can't eat cinnamon anymore."  
  
  
  
"Well, I can't eat it after watching Cordy put it Angel's blood," Wes said, shifting toward her in agreement.  
  
  
  
"Seriously. That's nasty," Gunn agreed.  
  
  
  
"I think it's sweet that she does that," Fred said. "Taking care of her man and all that. It's so romantic."  
  
  
  
"She makes me cinnamon toast sometimes," Connor told the group. After a moments pause, he continued, "But I don't think she's being romantic."  
  
  
  
"I should hope not," Wes commented.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, and Cordy's really too caught up in the manpire all her own to be trying to hit on you Connor," Fred patted him comfortingly on the arm. "I think you're safe from any of her romantic aspirations."  
  
  
  
"But always better to be safe than sorry, Connor." Wesley interjected. "Cordy always seems to have a few doxies at the ready, and while it might seem that they think you are charming and mysterious, driving an ax into a wall is not the foundation for a serious long term relationship."  
  
  
  
"Considering you bagged Lilah Morgan," Gunn started with a smirk. "I don't really think that you should be the complaining type."  
  
  
  
"Hey!" Wes gave the obligatory protest.  
  
  
  
"And can we get back to the matter at hand here folks?" Gunn asked, smiling at the mock glare Wesley was shooting him.  
  
  
  
"We had a matter at hand?" Fred questioned confusedly.  
  
  
  
"Yes, baby. Wesley here had the nerve to call Nelly a woman. He's not a woman, though. He is one fine rapper and whole of a lot better than that classical crap that you listen to."  
  
  
  
"Classical crap?!" Wesley cried indignantly. "Rap cannot even be considered real music. It's just a bunch of people talking."  
  
  
  
"What?!" Gunn's voice was almost a squeak.  
  
  
  
"Wesley, rap is a lot more than 'just a bunch of people talking,'" Connor broke into the argument, glancing across at Wes with a look of disappointment and slight pity. "It is more than just music, more than just art. Rap is rhyme, rhythm, and beats mastered together to challenge society as a whole and break down the walls built up by decades of music produced by upper class white suburbia."  
  
  
  
"Ha!" Gunn grinned and high-fived Connor. "That's my man!"  
  
  
  
"You two have been spending way too much time around each other," Fred murmured with an affectionate smile.  
  
  
  
"And what message, pray tell, is this particular piece of art trying to portray?" Wes questioned, raising his eyebrow.  
  
  
  
Gunn and Connor glanced at each other. "It's gettin' hot in herre, so take off all your clothes."  
  
  
  
"Somebody shoot me, please," Wes muttered, letting out a quiet chuckle.  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Fred laughed at the two boys. "I could really go for some earplugs right about now."  
  
  
  
"I am gettin' so hot. I wanna take my clothes off...."  
  
  
  
"Ahem," came a cough from just outside the door.  
  
  
  
The car trailed into silence as four pairs of eyes stared up at the stony face of the man they had been waiting for. Opening the door, Angel slid silently in, staring at the stereo. "What are we listening to?" he asked  
  
  
  
"Exactly." Wes leaned forward to tap Gunn on the shoulder. "Indistinguishable to the civilized man."  
  
  
  
"Don't pretend that you don't like this music, Angel." Gunn playfully slapped Wes's hand away. "We all know that you've got some Jay-Z and Ludarcris up in your room. Getting down with your bad self."  
  
  
  
"Not your evil bad self," Fred quipped. "Just your regular bad self."  
  
  
  
"Thanks Fred." Angel flipped the channel. "And Gunn? Get out my business, my biznass. And we're listening to classical."  
  
  
  
"Ha!"  
  
  
  
"Someone sure woke up on the wrong side of the coffin," Gunn grumbled.  
  
  
  
"That's actually a common misconception about vampires in general," Wes said, taking off his glasses and setting his expression to lecture mode. "Vampires don't sleep in coffins. They are often known to-"  
  
  
  
"We know," came the chorus.  
  
  
  
"I wasn't being serious here, Wes," Gunn turned sideways in his seat as the car lurched forward and Angel eased them into the light nighttime traffic. "I'm just saying that our resident vampire seems to be a little cranky this evening."  
  
  
  
"It's because you miss Cordy, huh, Angel?" Fred asked, leaning forward. "You're just looking forward to goin' to Sunnydale so that you can see your lady love, again."  
  
  
  
Taking Angel's grunt as a disagreement, Wes said dryly, "Fred, nobody ever looks forward to going to Sunnydale."  
  
  
  
"What's so bad about Sunnydale?" Connor asked, curiosity evident on his face. "Is the town really overrun by evil, killer blondes?"  
  
  
  
"You know, I've actually been wondering why you all hate it so much, too." Gunn turned so that he could better talk to the back seat. "It can't really be all that bad, can it?"  
  
  
  
"Gunn, it's located on a hellmouth," Angel said slowly, as though he had just asked the dumbest question ever.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, okay, I get that. But don't you all have friends there. Isn't there some Scooby Gang that you all used to belong to?"  
  
  
  
"What's a Scooby Gang?" Connor asked, shifting slightly as they entered the freeway and his father lay on the gas a little harder than usual.  
  
  
  
"The Scooby Gang is just a group of people in Sunnydale that we used to know. They, with the help of the Slayer, are who keep the Hellmouth under control," Wesley explained, watching as Angel's hands clenched the wheel tighter and his jaw seemed to lock. "And as far as belonging goes, Cordy is really the only one that belonged to that group. Which is probably why she's the only one looking forward to going back."  
  
  
  
"I can't wait to meet the B-word," Fred blurted out suddenly. "I real, live Slayer. I mean, wow. We are going to meet her, right?"  
  
  
  
Wesley stiffened slightly in his seat at the way Angel's jaw tightened at Fred's question. "Well, I don't really know that we will get to-"  
  
  
  
"You guys know the Slayer?" Connor interrupted, remembering the stories Holtz had told him about the supernatural being. Judging by the way the car jerked as Angel shifted into another lane, he was getting the impression that maybe his father didn't really like his questions.  
  
  
  
"Uh, that would be the evil, killer blonde that Cordy mentioned," Gunn remarked, a slight smirk on his face.  
  
  
  
"I thought the Slayer was for the side of good. How is she an evil, killer blonde?" Connor questioned Fred, his eyes wide at the notion.  
  
  
  
"Connor, she's only evil in the sense that she has saved the world like a million times," Angel bit out from a locked jaw. The agitation was clear in his voice.  
  
  
  
"Cordy was only saying evil, killer blonde in the sense that she and Buffy have not always gotten along," Wes clarified quickly, trying to be as gentle as possible in an effort to not upset Angel any further.  
  
  
  
"If Cordy was a part of their group, why didn't she and this Slayer get along?" Connor posed, choosing to disregard the way his dad's eye was currently twitching.  
  
  
  
"Well, it's not so much that they didn't get along," Wes stated slowly. Damn children and their inquisitiveness. This was not something he really wanted to be discussing with Angel right there. "It was. perhaps we could call it. some would say it was a bit of an alpha female thing."  
  
  
  
"Plus, with that whole Angel and Buffy angst-fest that we've all heard so much about, Cordy's probably just doing a bit of staking her claim." Gunn smirked at Angel's cringe.  
  
  
  
"Why would Cordy have to stake her claim? And what's an angst- fest?"  
  
  
  
"What's with all the questions, Barbara Walters?" Angel shot back to his son, sounding frighteningly like Cordelia. Setting his jaw even tighter, Angel stared straight ahead, struggling to bit back the urge to just tell them all to shut the hell up.  
  
  
  
"Connor," Fred started slowly, quiet and soothing as though she were trying to calm the growing tension in the car. "According to the files-"  
  
  
  
"I am going to burn those damned files," Angel interrupted, muttering under his breath.  
  
  
  
Fred flinched slightly at his words, but decided that it would appease Connor best if she continued. She would have to pick her words carefully. "According to the files, Angel and Buffy, the Slayer, met while in Sunnydale. But because of Angel's curse, when the two reached the intimacy of intercourse, you remember that conversation, right?" She smiled at his nod, not noticing the way that he was now shifting uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of his father's sex life. "Well, Angelus was released. It took them several months to bring him down, but he was eventually sent to hell. When Angel came back, he decided that it was best for him leave Sunnydale and Buffy. That's why he came to L.A. That's where he is now."  
  
  
  
"Angelus?" The question came out low and dangerous, reminiscent of a boy full of rage.  
  
  
  
"Well, Connor," Wes broke in before Fred had the chance to answer. "Yes. Angelus did make an appearance in Sunnydale. But Angel's soul was restored. Angelus is gone now."  
  
  
  
"But Cordy still has a thing about it," Gunn added. "It's the ex syndrome. You can't ever shake it."  
  
  
  
"Gunn!" Fred admonished.  
  
  
  
"You know what, guys?" Angel burst out suddenly, the tension having grown too much for him. "This conversation is over now. Cordy has nothing to worry about. You all have nothing to worry about. We are going to Sunnydale. We are going to have a grand time for Cordy. Then we are going to come home. And that is going to be it! Do you understand?"  
  
  
  
Silence settled over the vehicle, each person lost in their own thoughts, as the not-so-soothing strains of classical music floated over them.  
  
  
  
***********  
  
  
  
Angel walked briskly toward the hotel room he would share with Cordelia, the tension still thick in his shoulders. The car ride had been one of the worst trips he could ever remember. Not another word had been spoken since his outburst. Two hours in the car with his family, and nothing but stony silence.  
  
  
  
If he had had to stay in the car that much longer, he would have staked himself.  
  
  
  
Pushing open the door, Angel stepped into the dark room to find Cordelia sprawled, unmoving and groaning painfully, across the bed. She was wearing a pair of his black boxers and a small gray t-shirt. Her hair was still damp from the shower, and her eyes drooped sleepily.  
  
  
  
"Hey there," he spoke softly, dropping his suitcase and shutting the door behind him. "How's it going?"  
  
  
  
"Ugh," she moaned back at him, her eyes fluttering in response.  
  
  
  
Shucking off his coat and dropping it on hotel table, Angel smiled softly, feeling the tension drain at just the sight of her. Moving over to the bed, he dropped down beside her, running a light hand through her hair. "What's wrong, baby?"  
  
  
  
"I am so old," she whined to him. "I thought your training was supposed to be keeping me in shape. Today was hell."  
  
  
  
"Feeling that extra weight today, huh?" Angel laughed softly, bending down to remove his shoes. "Not quite the same as you were back in your high school days?"  
  
  
  
"High school wasn't that long ago. When did I get so freakin' old?" she grumbled at him, opening one eye to glare at him as menacingly as she could through her tired daze. "And there's no extra weight, jerk."  
  
  
  
Chuckling lightly, Angel stood to move to the small bathroom, taking his suitcase with him. "Of course there isn't," he told her, settling his belongings before removing his clothes for the night. "You have a beautiful body."  
  
  
  
Cordy felt a small smile form at the sincerity of his words. "I know."  
  
  
  
Angel chuckled lightly at her response. Even down and dog-tired, you couldn't take the Cordy out of Cordy. "So, what all did you have to do today?"  
  
  
  
Cordelia choked back a frustrated grunt at the memory. "There was the running, and the jumping, and all of the drills. Do you know that I can't even do the splits anymore? And I about broke my neck trying to get back some of the flips. I used to be able to do all of those things. What's wrong with me?"  
  
  
  
Stepping back into the small room clad in nothing but a pair of boxers, Angel felt his smile grow even wider. Ten minutes ago, he didn't think that it would have been possible for him to smile, but that is just what this woman did for him. Made the impossible possible. "Well, it's been a long time since you've had to do any of those things. It's no wonder that it would be difficult now."  
  
  
  
Cordy huffed loudly as she felt Angel's weight settle on the bed beside her. "It's not difficult, Angel. It's damned near impossible. I used to be the head of the team. The best cheerleader. Now, I'm the old fat one."  
  
  
  
"You're hardly fat."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, thanks. Could you put anymore protest behind those words?" she asked him sarcastically, turning her head to see him lounging across the bed with his head propped up on his hand. "And the rest of the girls they invited back, the ones from my year. Almost all of them could still do it. I kept getting all of these pitying looks!" The glare was now set in two open eyes as Angel laughed at her complaints. "Stupid bitches!"  
  
  
  
Pushing up into a sitting position, Angel laid his hands lightly over her back, massaging at the taut muscles. "I'm sure it isn't all that bad, Cor."  
  
  
  
Relaxing into his touch, she tried to hang onto the resentment. "But I'm just gonna stand there tomorrow, shaking a pom pon for like two seconds. I didn't come all the way down here to shake a pom pon for a few seconds."  
  
  
  
Leaning over to drop a light kiss on her shoulder, Angel said, "But I'm sure you'll look absolutely beautiful doing it."  
  
  
  
Cordelia moaned, letting a reluctant smile drift across her features. Her back arched up as he lifted up the cloth of her top and his cool hands kneaded her bare skin. "Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one else above you?"  
  
  
  
Shifting closer to her, Angel slid his hands up across her shoulders. "You know I would find that a lot more romantic if you hadn't made me learn so much about modern pop culture."  
  
  
  
"Hey!" she whined. "I'm tired and sore. and tired. I can't be expected to be all romantic at a time like this."  
  
  
  
"You know," he told her, his voice going high-pitched in an exaggerated imitation of her voice. "I really think that I deserve romance, no matter what mood you are in. I am special, dammit, and I expect to be treated as such."  
  
  
  
Cordy laughed despite herself. "You just wait, you big meanie. When I can move again, I'm gonna kick your ass."  
  
  
  
"Well, considering how out of shape you are, I don't really think that I have much to worry about."  
  
  
  
"Ha!" she scoffed, swatting his leg half-heartedly. "You just wait, buster. You'll be sorry."  
  
  
  
Running his hands swiftly down her back once more, Angel shifted to lie down, pulling Cordelia to snuggle into the cradle of his arms. He dropped a kiss just below her ear. "I can hardly wait."  
  
  
  
The two settled into a peaceful silence. Angel moved his head back slightly so that he could watch as Cordy drifted off to sleep in his arms, her graceful features illuminated softly by the dim glow of the light filtering through the curtains.  
  
  
  
This was one of his favorite parts of the day. Cordelia, resting in his arms, settling into sleep, completely at home in his embrace. Her features were so delicate when she slept. Peaceful and content.  
  
  
  
It never ceased to amaze him that she could find happiness with him. It would never cease to amaze him that she chose him over everything. Cordelia Chase, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, loved him. Loved him completely.  
  
  
  
Closing his eyes, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Taking a deep breath, Angel let the sweet scent that was her surround him, her even breathing lull him into sleep.  
  
  
  
"I saw her today," Cordy whispered sleepily.  
  
  
  
"Hmm?" Angel mumbled.  
  
  
  
"I saw Buffy. Today. At school," she told him, turning her head and opening her eyes a little to take in his reaction.  
  
  
  
Angel forced himself not to stiffen as her words jolted him from his sleepiness. "Did you?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah. I guess she works there now. She's a counselor or something."  
  
  
  
"She has a job?" Angel asked incredulously.  
  
  
  
"Apparently."  
  
  
  
"Wow. Wonder how she fits it into her schedule,"  
  
  
  
Nodding slightly, Cordy turned her head to settle back down into the pillow. "I don't think she saw me, but I asked the new principal, and he told me. So. she'll definitely be there tomorrow."  
  
  
  
Angel winced. Damn. The horror of the car ride came back to him full force. He really did not want to have to deal with this. And speaking of, " You know, Cordelia. You shouldn't be saying bad things about Buffy to Connor."  
  
  
  
"I didn't say anything bad about Buffy to Connor. I've never even mentioned her to him."  
  
  
  
"Really?" he questioned. "Not even something about evil, killer blondes?"  
  
  
  
"Okay," she amended, her breathing evening out again. "So, I've never directly said anything bad about Buffy to Connor."  
  
  
  
"Just. you know." Angel tried to search for the words to tell her what he needed to tell her. "You know you don't have anything to worry about? Right?"  
  
  
  
As silence was his only answer, Angel realized that Cordy had finally drifted off into sleep. But he now found himself unable to do the same. She had to know that she had nothing to worry about from Buffy. Right? 


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3  
  
It was hell.  
  
It was the worst hell, complete with Britney Spears songs vibrating off the walls  
  
This was Angel's Sunnydale Vacation, and not even Chevy Chase could have made good out of the day that he had just had.  
  
"Oh!" Angel started slightly as Fred came up behind him. "This is such a lovely gym! The whole school just looks terrific."  
  
"Yeah, it is kinda tight," Gunn agreed as he, Connor, and Wes joined them at the entrance of the auditorium.  
  
"Ah, yes. The taxpayers' money put to its best use," Angel said.  
  
"You don't pay taxes, Angel," Wes reminded him.  
  
"Right." Angel glanced over at Connor. "You'll be starting up at high school next week. I'm sure you can hardly wait."  
  
"Why do I have to go to school?" Connor responded, a slight whine edged in his voice. His eyes scanned quickly over his surroundings, obviously not liking what they were seeing. "I have a destiny. I have a purpose. I should be training further, not wasting my time with this thing you call school."  
  
"Connor!" Fred exclaimed, her expression set in outrage. "How can you even say anything like that? School is so incredibly important! You get to learn new things and meet new people. School will open up a whole new world for you. It's so incredibly important!"  
  
"I've already experienced a few new worlds, thanks." Connor gazed back a Fred with the stony expression he'd worn all day. "I think I've had my fill."  
  
"Yeah, well. I'm the parent and parents get to say things like 'go to school' and 'do your homework,'" Angel told him, letting a small smile settle on his lips. "So, that's why you have to go. Because I say so."  
  
Glancing over at the dark expression that crossed his son's face, Angel decided that he should probably amend that. "Or, you have to go because knowledge is power. If you want to be a great warrior, you have to have some brain behind that brawn. no matter what Cordy wants to say about Groo."  
  
"Man, you already got the girl." Gunn slapped him across the back. "I think its time to let all the anti-Groo feelings go."  
  
"What? I have let them go," Angel protested. "I was just being honest."  
  
"I actually liked Groo," Wes broke in. "He seemed a good enough guy."  
  
"What's that grumpy face for, mister?" Fred asked, smiling at the annoyed look that crossed over Angel's face at Wesley's comment. "Aren't you having a good time?"  
  
"Sorry, Fred." Angel pulled at his collar, feeling uncharacteristically warm. "It's just all these confined spaces. Makes me a little edgy."  
  
"What confined spaces, man?" Gunn slapped him on the back. "We're in the middle of a gigantic auditorium."  
  
"Yeah, but with all the people. And, you know, spending all day, all of us in the tiny hotel room together," Angel mumbled in return.  
  
"Didn't you have fun playing poker, Angel?" Fred smiled up at him, her eyes glowing with the memory of having beaten all the guys.  
  
"I still say you cheated, girl," Gunn grumbled teasingly, pulling Fred back against him and dropping a soft kiss on her temple.  
  
Fred giggled, elbowing him good-naturedly. "And anyway, we always spend all day in a hotel together."  
  
"But, Fred, there's a big difference between a great big empty hotel and a tiny hotel room with five people crammed in," Angel returned. "And while poker may have been alright at first, I still don't understand the appeal of the little pancake kisses you insisted on adding in."  
  
Fred rolled her eyes as though she though he were just being silly. "That's because you don't eat pancakes, Angel."  
  
"I eat pancakes, and I'm having a bit of difficulty grasping the idea as well," Wesley put in dryly.  
  
"That's because you don't have anyone to do the pancake kissin' with." Gunn's tone was light, but his eyes narrowed in a silent warning.  
  
And here it was, Angel thought to himself. The arguing that had plagued the group all throughout their little vacation was about to rear its ugly head once again. He didn't know much more he could take.  
  
Fred smiled tightly, looping her arm through Gunn's and pulling him in the direction of the long line forming in front of the concession stand. Apparently she had picked up on the same vibe as Angel. "Right. Enough of that. We're gonna go get some grub. Angel, you should go find us some seats before the place fills up."  
  
"Yes," Wes agreed, turning to follow the other two. "And be sure to find us good seats."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Angel muttered, turning to scan the stands, but was surprised to find that Connor was still standing there. "Aren't you going to go get something to eat?"  
  
"Yes." Connor raised up an open palm, looking at his father expectantly.  
  
Angel glanced down at the waiting hand before quirking a curious eyebrow up at his son's serious expression.  
  
"Cordelia says that you are to give me money for things like this."  
  
"She said that, did she?" Angel hesitated at the nod that Connor sent his way. He and Cordelia were really going to have to sit down soon and have a little talk about the things that she was telling his impressionable young boy.  
  
Coming to a decision, Angel rolled his eyes and reached back into his pocket to out a single bill. Plopping it down onto Connor's hand, he moved around the boy. "Don't spend it all in one place."  
  
Connor looked down at the one-dollar bill he was holding before calling out to Angel's retreating back, "But she said not to be cheap about it!"  
  
Weaving in and out of the throng of people, Angel thought once again about how much he absolutely hated crowds. Sunnydale was a small town and something as big as the reopening of the high school was sure to draw a lot of people. It seemed as though the entire population was there. And, as Angel grunted loudly as a small woman with three kids in tow rammed into him, it seemed as if the entire population had decided to block his path to the stands.  
  
What was it about walkways that turned people into complete morons? Did they not understand that walkways were there for the purpose of walking?  
  
And when exactly had the dark brooding look become as fluffy as bunnies and not as intimidating as it used to be?  
  
Sighing heavily as yet another group of people stopped to chat, effectively blocking his path; Angel turned his gaze back to the stands, scanning for a place for them to sit. His body froze as his eyes landed on a Buffy, laughing at some joke Xander had made.  
  
This sight was not something that was new to Angel. Not all that long ago, the sight before him had been a common one, leaving him feeling empty and alone, his heart clenching with jealousy and wanting.  
  
Now, his heart was clenching with dread.  
  
God, how he did not want to have to go over there and face her. However, this was his life, and as yet another Britney song blared up over the loud speakers, Angel realized that he very rarely got what he wanted.  
  
Might as well just get it over with, he told himself, taking a deep calming breath. How bad could it really be?  
  
"Hey!" came the loud complaint in Angel's ear as yet another man slammed into his side. "Walkways are for walking, moron. Get moving!"  
  
***********  
  
"Isn't this exciting?" Dawn bounced lightly in her seat. "The new high school is opening! I'm going to go here!"  
  
"What are you feeding this girl?" Xander asked. "Cause, I don't really remember being this excited about going to school on the Hellmouth."  
  
"I don't think you would have been excited to go to school anywhere," Willow said with a small smile, nudging him in the shoulder. Xander turned to her, shrugging as if to concede her point.  
  
"But this is exciting," Dawn persisted. "I am going to be a student, and Buffy is going to be a counselor, and Xander is going to be construction guy, and it's all going to be so much fun!"  
  
"As the new counselor of this school, I must tell you that I find it extremely disturbing that you're this excited. It's unnatural, Dawn." Mischief gleamed in Buffy's eyes. "I may be forced to give you detention."  
  
"See, now that's just not cool," Dawn shot back.  
  
The Scoobies had arrived early, and as such, found relatively good seats near the middle of the court. Their wait was now nearing its end, and nearly all of their snack food was gone. As happy as Buffy was to be there, with her family, she really hoped that the show would start soon.  
  
While they were all together and relatively without violence of any kind, any peace had been short-lived and fleeting for their group. After all of the events of the last year, tensions still ran high, and it didn't take much to give said tension an outlet.  
  
That's why short conversations were good, and long, drawn out, heart to hearts were bad.  
  
"That's right, Buff," Xander agreed. "As much times as both you and I spent in detention, I find it appalling that you would even consider threatening your sister with such a thing. You should be modeling yourself to be the anti-Snyder, not the mini-Snyder."  
  
"Oh!" Anya giggled, jostling Buffy slightly from behind with her knees. "Sorry. I just had a sudden picture of Buffy in a little gray suit and no hair. Couldn't you just see her walking around, telling all the kids to go to class?" Nodding at the horrified looks the group shot her, she continued on with a broad smile. "Funny."  
  
"Or not so much," Buffy pouted, reaching up to pat her loose bun protectively.  
  
"I little scary if you ask me," Xander said.  
  
"Well, that's what you get for threatening me with the after-hours school." Dawn turned to grin back at Anya.  
  
"See, Xander." Anya raised an eyebrow. "Some people get my humor."  
  
And here it goes, Buffy thought, placing a hand on Xander's forearm in a futile attempt to keep him from responding.  
  
Xander leaned toward Anya threateningly. "Why are you even here?"  
  
"Come on now guys," Willow tried to intercede.  
  
"No," Anya interrupted, her voice hard and biting. "I was invited to come. By my friends, because you know, they are my friends, too. Plus, this is like a high school reunion. There will lots of scorned women here, ready for vengeance on their crappy high school boyfriends."  
  
"Anya, there will be no vengeance here." Buffy regarded her with uncompromising eyes.  
  
The warning was lost on Anya, however. "Who knows? Maybe Cordelia will show up, Xander. Then where will you be?"  
  
"Don't you threaten him," Dawn spoke up, an angry spark in her eyes.  
  
"And in case you didn't know, Cordelia and I parted on good terms, Anya. So, you'd be barking up the wrong tree," Xander shot back. "Anyway, I don't think she'll be coming back to Sunnydale anytime soon. She couldn't wait to get out of this place."  
  
Yes, Buffy cheered to herself. This was just the opening she needed to stop the argument. "Actually, guys. It's funny you should bring that up, but I saw Cordelia yesterday. She's here."  
  
"What?" Xander asked. "Why?"  
  
"Well, I can't believe I forgot to tell you, but she's here to participate in the ceremony." Buffy smiled as her distraction seemed to have the desired effect. "They invited a bunch of former cheerleaders to do something, and she came."  
  
"You talked to her," Willow questioned.  
  
"No." Buffy scrunched her nose. "They were in here practicing while Principal Wood was giving me the tour. He told me about it."  
  
"How did she look?" Dawn asked. "Did she look good?"  
  
"This is Cordelia we're talking about." Xander grinned as the memories of his high school sweetheart washed over him. "She always looks good."  
  
"I wonder if she'll bring Angel with her," Willow said.  
  
Quiet settled over the group.  
  
"Why would Angel come with Cordelia?" Xander asked finally.  
  
"Yeah, Will," Buffy agreed, trying to ignore the nervous jitter that seemed to spring up in her tummy. "I don't thing Angel would come all the way up here just to watch Cordy perform in a cheerleading reunion. And it's not like the school brings back a lot of good memories for him, either. The giant man-eating snake was probably enough to keep him away from here for good. And besides, he's probably got better things to do."  
  
"The memory of the giant man-eating snake wasn't enough to keep us away, and what better things would he do?" Xander's voice was incredulous as his gaze shifted to Buffy. "All he's ever done is fight and brood. Oh, and maim and kill. That leaves a lot of time to come and stalk Buffy. Which he has been known to do."  
  
"He only did that once," Buffy protested.  
  
"That we know of," Xander shot right back.  
  
"It's been three years, Xander. Look at how much we've changed in the past three years. Is it inconceivable that he has changed too?" Buffy's expression seemed forcefully cheery as she tried to bring a smile back onto her friends face.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you sure not just still stuck on Spike, Xander?" Anya asked pointedly. "You do seem to have trouble with projecting the problems of one person onto another."  
  
Xander rose quickly from his seat, an uncharacteristic anger flashing in his eyes, Buffy's restraining hand on his arm the only thing keeping him from stepping over the line. "I was never the one stuck on Spike, Anya.  
  
"Whatever." Anya rolled her eyes as Xander sat back down. "Anyway, Buffy. Men never change. It's pretty much impossible."  
  
"Thank you, Anya." Buffy grinned despite herself, patting Xander's arm comfortingly, trying to calm him down. "But I haven't seen Angel in almost a year, and I don't think he'd come all the way up here to see me with just a cheerleading routine as his excuse."  
  
"I don't know, Buffy," Willow spoke up. "The last time I saw him, he and Cordelia seemed pretty close. They seemed like they were good friends. I wouldn't be surprised if she dragged him all the way up here to see her do her thing."  
  
Buffy felt that nagging jitter start to spread. "Okay, I get that Angel and Cordelia are probably friends now after all of these years, but he has a life and a business in L.A. He wouldn't just drop it to come here for a few days of opening ceremony goodness."  
  
"He's done it before," Xander reminded her.  
  
"That's because I was in danger."  
  
"Buffy, look. This is Angel we're talking about-"  
  
"I know, but we don't really know Angel all that much anymore," Buffy interrupted. "And this conversation pretty much doesn't matter anyway because he is NOT going to be here."  
  
"So," Dawn spoke up for the first time since the conversation had started. "When you say that he's not going to be here, do you mean that in the sense that he's walking over here right now?"  
  
Buffy's stunned gaze followed the direction of Dawn's finger. She gasped suddenly as his deep chocolate eyes met hers.  
  
The jitters took flight. 


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4 Angel stopped on the row just under the Scoobies, stuffing his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders. "Hey," he said softly.  
  
"Hey." Buffy stared up at him, her eyes wide. The group grew quiet.  
  
"So, hey." Xander clapped his hands once loudly. "The return of the awkward silence," He quipped. "I can't tell you how much I really have not missed that."  
  
Angel cleared his throat. "Xander. Willow. everyone." This was exactly why he hated going out in public. "I didn't mean to interrupt your evening. I just wanted to come over and say hello."  
  
Buffy cleared her throat. "Well, uh, hello." She felt a wide, almost plastic smile spread across her face as she searched for something to say that didn't sound like her world has suddenly started spinning. Which, figuratively speaking, it had. No matter how much her friends had insisted he might be there, she really hadn't believed it for a second. "You're. you're not interrupting anything."  
  
Angel smiled tightly. "Good."  
  
"Yes," Anya quipped up. "You're not interrupting anything because we were actually just talking about you."  
  
Angel's head snapped up, his eyebrows drawing together. "You were?"  
  
"No, we weren't talking about you!" Buffy piped up, shooting a warning glance back at Anya. "Why would we be talking about you?"  
  
"Yes, we were talking about him, Buffy. You said that you had seen Cordelia yesterday, and then Willow said that Angel might be here. Xander then said that he didn't want Angel to be here, but that he probably was. And then, you said that it didn't matter because there was no way Angel would be here." Oblivious to the incredulous stares her friends were shooting at her, Anya smiled brightly up at Angel. "That was when you got here. So, see, we were talking about you."  
  
Angel's gaze traveled back to Buffy, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly at the blush that tinged her cheeks. "Oh, I see."  
  
"You'll have to excuse the resident vengeance demon," Xander said, jerking a thumb in Anya's direction. "She doesn't exactly grasp the concept of keeping the gossip away from the one you're gossiping about."  
  
"That's quite all right, Anya. I've spent the last four years with Cordy. You tend to get used to it." Angel relaxed slowly at the light laughter that surrounded him.  
  
"Honesty is a good trait to have," Anya announced pointedly, smirking at her ex-boyfriend.  
  
"So. why did you think I wouldn't be here?" Angel asked, glancing at Buffy.  
  
"Oh! It's not that I didn't think you would be here. It's just that, you know." Buffy cut herself off before she made a complete stuttering fool of herself. She didn't remember Angel being so direct with the questioning.  
  
"Buffy just thought that with your business and everything you'd be to busy to come." Willow winked comfortingly at Buffy. "You don't really make it up here when there's not world in peril stuff going on."  
  
"I guess that's true." Angel nodded, smiling to ease the discomfort that still seemed fitted on Buffy's face. "No world in peril stuff going on. Just Cordelia doing the whole high school cheerleading scene again."  
  
"So, Angel. That's why you're here, is it?" Xander asked. "You're here to see Cordy participate in all the opening ceremony splendor?"  
  
"Yeah." Angel pulled his hands from his pockets, crossing his arms over his chest. For some reason, the direct mention of Cordy was putting him back on the defensive.  
  
"Did she just drag you along, or do we get to see Wesley, too?" Willow questioned, her voice soft as she took in the tension in Angel's stance. He always did seem to be a high stress guy.  
  
"Yeah." Angel nodded. He paused for a minute, considering the confusion on her face. "Er. I mean, yes, she did drag Wesley along as well. Actually, all of us are here. I mean, all of Angel Investigations."  
  
"It will be nice to meet your other friends, Angel," Buffy spoke up. "You've mentioned them before, but I've never gotten the chance to meet any of them."  
  
"Yeah, well. They'll be happy to meet you, too." They finally looked at each other, but the contact was short lived as each quickly averted their eyes. Angel glanced back down toward his feet, awkwardly toeing the edge of the bench he stood on. Damn it! What was it that people talked about in situations like this?  
  
"So, how about them Lakers," Buffy said, tone a little too strained. Damn, could this be anymore awkward?  
  
"Yeah! The Lakers! Good!" Angel winced at his unnaturally loud voice.  
  
"Right," Xander said. "I had no idea that basketball got you so excited there, Angel. Well, you learn something new everyday, don't ya?"  
  
"Well, basketball is a fascinating sport." Dawn smiled widely up at Angel. "I'm partial to all the scantily clad men, myself.  
  
"I agree," Anya straightened in her seat. "Tiny shorts on big, strong, rich men really does give that extra bit of omff to an otherwise pointless and boring game."  
  
"Oh I don't know about that." Xander shifted to better address his ex- girlfriend. "I would say that the cheerleaders do a fair amount to bring an added stimulation to the game. Can I get a yay, Will?"  
  
"Uh-huh! I'll give you a yay and raise you an amen, buddy." Willow grinned brightly as she gave Xander a high-five, then she turned to Buffy. "And what does the Buff have to say on the matter?"  
  
"I'm gonna have to go with scantily clad men on this one. What kind of world would we be living in were it not for the pleasures of scantily clad big, strong, rich men?" Buffy laughed as Xander rolled his eyes at her.  
  
"Oh!" Anna nodded excitedly. "Don't forget about the sweaty part. That's especially important!"  
  
"Of course it is," Xander answered sarcastically.  
  
The group dipped into an uncomfortable silence as five pairs of eyes stared expectantly up at Angel. This was just way too much pressure. It was difficult enough to come back to a place that you never really belonged, but the weight of the life he had made for himself was nearly pushing Angel into the ground. He didn't want to play with secrets the entire time he was in Sunnydale. He wasn't going to hide his life from them.  
  
"Buffy," he spoke suddenly, turning a serious gaze toward the young woman. "Do you think that maybe I could talk to you for a minute?"  
  
Buffy froze in her seat, staring up at Angel as she tried to grasp what he had just asked her. After a moment, she shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and stood up. "Yeah. yes. Yes, I think that would be good."  
  
"But wait. We never got your answer, Angel," Xander said. "So, what will it be for you? Scantily clad, sweaty men or scantily clad, sweaty cheerleaders?"  
  
Angel stopped, half turning to glance back at Xander. His eyes narrowed at the hard look on the other man's face. Angel turned back to the court and began to step down the bleachers. "I think I'd have to go with." His voice trailed off as his whole world seem to shift to slow motion.  
  
From a door across the court a pair long, toned legs, curvy and feminine, lightly jogged out. His eyes traveled up the length, his body tightening at the sight. His gaze reached a short burgundy skirt that barely covered the round, luscious cheeks of a perfect ass as it swished with each step. The skirt was a mere scrap of material that settled low down on her hips. A flat, bronzed stomach was visible for a short minute before being covered again by a tight, burgundy and gold top.  
  
"Cheerleaders," he squeaked as his stare reached that golden smile that brought light every day to his dark world. Her smile seemed to brighten even further as she found him in crowd and lifted her hand in a small wave.  
  
"Ah!"  
  
The vision before him was ripped from his sight as he misjudged the step in front of him and stumbled down. His knee banged hard against the bench, and his quick vampiric reflexes were the only thing kept him from sliding headfirst into the row of spectators.  
  
He glanced up quickly, cringing at Cordelia's wide eyes and the laughter that was so obviously bubbling up in her. He was going to be hearing about this later.  
  
"Angel, are you okay?" Buffy's voice came, pulling his attention away from Cordy. She wrapped her hand around his arm and helped to pull him to his feet.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Angel smiled awkwardly back at her. He glanced over his shoulder toward the court, expecting to see Cordelia still laughing, but her eyes were no longer focused on him and the smile was no longer on her face. Her gaze was hard and pointed and focused solely on Buffy. whom he was just leading away from the group. Shit! Angel screamed to himself as she glanced at him one last time before jogging to catch up with the rest of the cheerleaders.  
  
"Um. did you just fall over?" Xander's words broke through Angel's thoughts.  
  
Glancing back quickly to the group, he realized that Cordy was not the only one that had seen him fall. Smiling with what he hoped was an innocent expression; Angel shrugged, his voice coming out slightly higher than was normal. "No!"  
  
"Angel. I think you did just fall over," Buffy told him, her words holding a poorly hidden twinge of confusion as she tried to help him wipe the dust from his coat and pants.  
  
"Yes. We all saw you." Anya nodded, pointing down at the spot Angel had just occupied. "It was quite humorous."  
  
"I. no. um." What was it Cordy had said about simply gesturing not being a suitable answer? Shaking his head, Angel pointed accusingly down at the bench. "Somebody must have spilled their soda. Because. so I slipped. maybe."  
  
"Spilled soda?" Xander's asked incredulously, glancing dubiously over at Willow who could merely shrug in return. "I guess it could have been."  
  
Angel shifted his weight and fought the urge to wring his hands as the Scoobies continued to shoot befuddled looks at each other. The only one that seemed willing to make eye contact with him was Anya, and he really wished that she would stop smiling so widely at him.  
  
A strong hand suddenly clapped against his back, nearly sending Angel toppling over yet again. Regaining his composure, he turned to glare at the smiling face of Gunn. "That was most definitely not spilt soda, my friend. but it was a little bit on the obvious side." Gunn raised his eyebrows suggestively and jerked his head in Cordelia's direction.  
  
"What?" Angel's gaze traveled to the court before snapping back to Gunn. "No."  
  
Gunn's broad grin faded as he caught sight of the group of people staring up at him. "Uh. hello."  
  
"Hi," Buffy answered back, shooting a questioning look toward Angel.  
  
"Oh! You all must be the Sunnydale crowd I've heard so much about." Gunn snapped his fingers and realization seemed to dawn on him. "What was it you all called yourself? God, we were talking about it just yesterday. "The scubbies or the scabies?"  
  
The group turned as a short laugh sounded just behind Gunn. Fred stepped up onto the bench with him, her arms loaded with various snack foods. "I hardly think that they're the scabies, Gunn. Unless of course they're a contagious skin disease caused by a parasitic mite that results in flaky skin and constant itching. and really, who wants to be that?" She bumped her shoulder against her boyfriend's, an impish grin spreading over her mouth."  
  
"Well, certainly not me, but who are we really to judge the life decisions of another," Xander returned, slapping his hand on his knee for emphasis.  
  
The grin seemed to freeze on Fred's face as she considered his words. "Right. I guess."  
  
"I think the word you were looking for is Scoobies." The group once again turned to take in the latest additions to their little gathering, Wesley and a teenage boy.  
  
"Wesley?" Buffy's jaw dropped, her eyes quickly scanning over her former watcher.  
  
"Hello, Buffy," he answered, nodding his head in greeting.  
  
"Oh!" Fred's eyes grew wide as she turned to face Buffy. "So, you're the B- word?"  
  
"She's the what?" Dawn questioned, her body tensing slightly at the connotations behind Fred's statement.  
  
"Buffy. It starts with B," Gunn answered, his own gaze narrowing at the person in question.  
  
Buffy crossed her arms, trying not to take offense to Angel's friends. "Pretty much all the time."  
  
"Right then. I guess introductions are in order," Wes broke in, stepping forward to present the groups to each other.  
  
"It's nice to see you guys again, and this time with out all the tragedy involved." Willow smiled.  
  
"And, you know, for me. It's nice to get to finally meet you in the first place," Buffy added, shifting uncomfortably under Fred's scrutiny.  
  
"Well, it certainly was fun seeing you guys again, but we should probably go find our seats," Angel said suddenly, breaking into what was sure to be another awkward silence. He let his eyes lock with Buffy's one more time. "Maybe we can find sometime later to talk."  
  
"But, Angel," Fred interrupted his escape. "We're standing on an empty bench. It's about to start so we should just sit here." Fred shifted back at the glares that were shot her way. "Oh!" She nodded as understanding hit her. They didn't want to sit by each other. "Right."  
  
"No." Wesley shifted to sit down in front of Willow. "The show is about to start, and there really aren't very many empty seats left. We should probably stay here."  
  
* * *  
  
The lights dimmed, and the roar of the crowd quieted as a voice came over the loud speaker. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the grand opening of your new Sunnydale High!"  
  
Angel winced as a deafening bass sounded through the auditorium. The large room erupted into noise as the crowd screamed and cheered and the music bounced off the walls. Lights flashed down on the basketball court as the group of cheerleaders sprinted to find their positions.  
  
Angel's gaze was drawn to the center of the first row where Cordelia was positioning herself for the routine. Scanning the crowd quickly, her face twisted into an unpleasant frown when her eyes met his. He smiled encouragingly at her, but she only glanced away. Her head went down, bouncing slightly to the rhythm of the music as she waited for her cue. Her pom pons were loosely dangling at her sides as her body tensed in preparation for the performance.  
  
She was so absolutely beautiful. Tall, graceful, and strong. The natural talent she had for such things as dancing and fighting shone through as her hips shook to the beat, and while he knew he was probably going to have a lot of explaining to do that evening, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.  
  
"We are most definitely taking that thing home with us," he muttered.  
  
"What did you say?" Angel heard Buffy ask behind him as her knee nudged his back. Turning his head, Angel's eyes were wide as he met her innocent gaze.  
  
"Oh, I didn't say anything. er. I mean, just that Cordy seems to be doing a good job." Angel nodded at her, then turned back to the performance.  
  
"Yeah. Cordelia always was a good dancer," Buffy agreed.  
  
Angel watched, his ears deaf to the crowd around him, as Cordy moved. He could see the muscles in her stomach tense with each move, and the flex of her legs with each step, causing his stomach to clench also.  
  
The roar of the crowd increased as the song came to an end and the cheerleaders stopped in their final poses. Angel's whole body tensed as Cordelia's gaze seemed to find him automatically, a glare of defiance set in her eyes as she dropped down into her middle splits, her arms spread out wide on her sides.  
  
Good God! The least she could have done was give him some warning!  
  
Gunn glanced over toward Angel, chuckling at the way he fidgeted. "That is one amazing woman, is it not?"  
  
"Very much so." Angel nodded, feeling the sudden urge to laugh himself as he saw Cordelia pull herself up. The heavy mood that had followed him all day lifted as she winced, supporting her back momentarily with one hand. She could be so damned sexy in one moment, and just as cute the next.  
  
He winked playfully when she glanced back up at him, but his smile faded as her pink cheeks seemed to flood with embarrassment and her frown deepened even further. Her eyes seem to flicker quickly behind him before she turned away for the last time, limping slightly off the court.  
  
Glancing back, Angel felt the heavy mood return as his gaze once again locked with a pair of bright hazel eyes.  
  
"Huh. Cordelia certainly seems all bad moody," Buffy stated, watching as she walked away. Glancing back to Angel, she smiled lightly. "I wonder what her problem is." 


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey everybody!  Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback on this, and I just want to say that I'm really sorry it's taken me this long to update.  I'll try not to do that again._

_Enjoy! _

Part 5  

"Well, that was quite the entertaining show," Wesley said, standing to stretch.  
  
"Yeah. I don't know." Xander stood also, turning to Wesley. "None of the speakers turned into large man-eating snakes, so I'm thinking it lacked that special punch of ceremonies previous."  
  
"I can't speak for everyone, but I'm gonna have to say that I'm pretty happy about that." Willow smiled largely at Xander. Around them, the gym echoed with noise as everyone began to rush to get out.  
  
"Yes, well. I'm not being carted off to the hospital just now, so I'm going to say that this ceremony was definitely an improvement," Wes said, waving a dismissive hand at the memory.  
  
"Nah, man." Gunn reached out to slap Wes on the back. "It's not the right time of year for you and your annual trip to the hospital."  
  
"I thought it was boring," Anya put in. Reaching her hands up over her head, she worked to release the tension in her back. "I was falling asleep the whole time."  
  
Willow rolled her eyes, turning back toward Angel. "So, how long will you guys be staying in Sunnydale?"  
  
"Uh, tomorrow night," Angel answered, shifting slightly as the focus of the group was suddenly turned on him. "We'll be staying until tomorrow night. Cordy wanted to stay for some party that was going on."  
  
"Yeah. There's going to be a big opening after-party at the Bronze tomorrow night." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, her stance mirroring the awkwardness in Angel's. "It'll be mostly high school kids because of, you know, the whole opening of the high school thing, but it should be pretty okay."  
  
"Which is really quite appalling if you stop and think about it," Xander broke in, waving a hand to interrupt. "High school kids? At a party? There should be no partying. They should be at home. There should be only books, and studying, and… and books. Why, when I was in high school, I was all about the being at home with the studying and the books."  
  
Willow cocked her head, narrowing her eyes at him before perking up suddenly. "Oh, that's right. I remember that day."  
  
"It was quite a momentous day," Buffy agreed.  
  
"Hey, come on. Give me a break. I had far more important things to be doing in high school." Shining a wider than necessary smile at Angel, Xander continued, "Stick up for me, Angel. You remember all the important things I did in high school."  
  
"Why would Angel stick up for you, Xander?" Anya drew herself back into the conversation with a smirk toward her ex. "I didn't think he liked you very much."  
  
The group dipped into a short silence as the two men locked eyes, neither choosing to deny what had just been said.  
  
"So, you're the slayer, huh." The attention shifted quickly away from Xander and Angel, and on to Fred at the out-of-the blue question.  
  
Buffy's eyes widened, her gaze shifting around to make sure that no one around them had stopped to listen in. "Uh, yeah, but we don't much talk about that in mixed company. It tends to go against the whole 'keeping it a secret' thing."  
  
"Right, right. I get that." Fred nodded slowly at the other woman, her mouth twisting in thought. Angel and Wesley exchanged glances over her head, both realizing that the conversation in the car was about to come to a head.  
  
"From the stories my father told me, I had always thought that the slayer would be bigger, stronger," Connor spoke up for the first time, crossing his own arms in a mirror stance of his real father.  
  
"Yeah, maybe someone a little more like Cordy." Gunn stepped closer to Fred, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he regarded Buffy.  
  
"Someone more like Cordelia?" Willow shook her head slightly, her tone incredulous, as she exchanged questioning glances with her friends.  
  
Gunn gave a short shrug. "Yeah, you know. Tall, athletic, strong. I don't know, maybe just more fighter like."  
  
"Cordy's very strong. I mean, have you seen her legs? And she's graceful, too." Fred leaned further into her boyfriend, looking up at him for support. "Like out there dancing tonight. She was awesome."  
  
Buffy's face twisted in slight confusion, unprepared for the sudden rundown of Cordelia's physical high points. "Well, um… yeah, she was pretty good out there tonight…"  
  
"Our Buff may be little, but don't you worry none." Xander took a step toward her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. "She packs quite the wallop."  
  
"Plus, with that whole slayer strength thing, she doesn't really need the whole height advantage," Dawn put in, drawing the others' gazes for the first time. "You don't have to be tall to fight the underbelly of society."  
  
"Duly noted, little one." Xander reached out to pat her on the head. "And a point for using the phrase 'underbelly of society.'"  
  
Fred was quick to turn back to Buffy, her eyes dragging down the length of her body in a critical manner. "Slayer strength, right. Well, I'm sure that that helps."  
  
Buffy stiffened under the gaze of Angel's friend, unsure of how to react to the slight hostility. What exactly had he told her to make them act like they were? She opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped by a cheery voice she hadn't heard in nearly three years.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Cordy grinned widely at the group, bounding up the bleachers and through the dwindling crowd to stand in between Buffy and Angel. "What's going on?"  
  
"Cordy!" Angel exclaimed, reaching out a hand to help her up the last bench.   
  
"Aw, yes. She of the tiny cheerleading skirt. I got to say I have more than a few fond memories of that baby." Xander grinned, lifting his eyebrows in a mock leer.  
  
"Pfft." Came the quick response of both of his ex-girlfriends.  
  
"In your dreams, Xander," Cordelia giggled, stepping forward to wrap him in a brief hug.  
  
"Well, yeah. That's totally what I meant," he returned, squeezing her gently.  
  
Cordelia stepped away, turning her attention to the excited girl standing beside them. "Will! Oh my God! You look so good!"  
  
The hug between the two was long and genuine. "You too, Cordelia! God, it feels like forever since I've seen you. You look fabulous!"  
  
Cordy pulled back, flashing her wide grin. "As per usual, no dou-"  
  
"My turn!" Anya interrupted, brushing Xander aside as she stepped down to sweep Cordelia up in her embrace. "Oh, Cordelia! It's so good to see you again. And oh, we must catch up." Stepping back, she kept Cordelia's shoulders in her grip. "There are just so many things that we need to discuss. Painful, painful things."  
  
"Um, sure thing," she laughed in return, raising her eyebrows over at Xander's scowl. "We'll definitely have to do that."  
  
"Hey, Cordelia."  
  
Cordelia spun, her hair swishing across her face. "Hello Buffy. It's been a long time."  
  
"It sure has."   
  
The two stared at each other for moment, everyone else staring at them. Angel's eyes were dark as he watched them. He knew that they had never really been that good of friends, but surely if Xander warranted friendliness, so did Buffy. He relaxed visibly as Cordelia broke into her wide smile, and stepped forward. Their hug was far from warm, however. After a few quick shoulder pats, they both stepped back as if being burned, stiff smiles stretching their lips too thin.  
  
"Cordy!" Fred broke in, grabbing her hand and shaking it excitedly. "You were so great out there! You totally stole the show!"  
  
Cordelia's smile became real, then, spreading into that beautiful too-wide grin. "Thank you, Fred."  
  
"No as good at those splits anymore, though, huh?" Gunn raised his eyebrows teasingly.  
  
The joy in Cordy's eyes seemed to freeze momentarily. "Ah, no. And thank you so much for bringing that up, Gunn." She bowed her head slightly, glancing at Angel out of the corner of her eye. "But then, not everyone can be blonde and limber forever."  
  
"Of course not, Cordy." Fred jabbed her elbow nonchalantly into Gunn's side. "But you've still got the blonde thing going on."  
  
"And the outfit still throws a couple of points down on your side as well." Xander leered heavily over at her again, choosing to ignore the smack Anya brushed across the back of his head.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes at Xander before turning back to Cordelia. "Speaking of, though. Your hair really does look nice. Different, but very nice."  
  
Cordy patted her hair self-consciously. "Thank you. Your hair looks nice, too. Pretty much the same as it always has though, right? Some people just really aren't all that into change, though, I guess. But, hey, whatever works for you, right?"  
  
Buffy's eyebrows shot up. She should have remembered how snippy Cordelia could be, but she would have thought that after four years and the way that Angel had talked about their friendship, she would have thought that she had changed a bit. She glanced over questioningly toward Angel, but her confusion only grew at the hurt expression he was wearing.  
  
Cordelia sighed heavily, clapping her hands once in front of her. "So, what were you all talking about before I showed up?"  
  
"Not much actually," Wesley answered. "I think that we were all just getting ready to leave."  
  
"Oh, okay." Cordelia nodded, stepping down on the bleachers, seemingly not at all disappointed to be leaving despite the fact that she hadn't seen these friends in nearly three years. "It was really good to see you guys."  
  
"Yes, it was really good to finally meet you all," Fred agreed, following Cordy down the bleachers and pulling Gunn in her wake.  
  
"We'll see you all tomorrow night, won't we?" Willow called after them, stunned at how abruptly they were all ready to depart.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know, party, Bronze, getting your funk on," Xander answered Cordelia's question.  
  
"Right. We'll totally see you there." Cordelia turned, looping her arm through Connor's as they headed toward the exit.  
  
"Wait." Buffy's voice stopped Cordy in her tracks despite the fact that she knew it wasn't directed at her. "Didn't you want to talk about something, Angel?"  
  
Angel froze, snapped from his musings over Cordelia's behavior by the fact that he was now very well stuck in some pretty deep shit. There was really only one thing he could do. Play dumb. "What was that?"  
  
"You guys were going to talk about something?" Cordelia asked, stepping back up a bleacher to stare at him with wide eyes.  
  
Damn. There was no way he was going to be able to get out of this. "Yeah, we were going to, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Did you still want to do that, Buffy?"  
  
"Um…" Buffy stopped as both Angel and Cordelia stared at her. Angel seemed to be dreading her answer while Cordelia's gaze was hard and pointed, almost daring. "It is getting kind of late."  
  
"Buffy, it's like nine o' clock." Dawn sidled up beside her, weaving her arm around her waist. "What are you an old lady all of a sudden? You don't usually come in from patrol until like one or two in the morning."  
  
"Right, but…"  
  
"You guys should go ahead and do that together. Patrol, I mean." Buffy felt like Cordelia was angry at her for some reason, but her tone was light and her words friendly enough, for her at least. "It could be like old times."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I guess we could do that." Buffy looked to Angel for confirmation, but his gaze was stuck on Cordelia, who seemed intent on not looking at him. The boy, Connor, whose hand she was still holding, seemed to be glaring at Angel enough for both of them.  
  
A moment of silence passed before Angel finally turned to look at her, his expression blank. "Patrolling tonight sounds fine, Buffy. We can get all caught up."  
  
"Okay then. I guess that settles it," Cordelia chirped up, turning to go for the last time. "I guess we'll just see the rest of you tomorrow."  
  
"I'll see you in about an hour then, Angel?"  
  
"Sounds good."


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6 Angel sighed, leaning back further into the headboard of their hotel bed as he flipped through the many cable channels. As soon as they had gotten back, Cordelia had gone straight to the bathroom to take a shower, locking the door behind her. If she didn't come back out soon, he was going to have to leave before she got out.  
  
He knew from the beginning that this trip was going to turn out a disaster. He'd never wanted to come in the first place, and yet, now that there was all this tension, everyone was blaming him for things. He didn't do anything, and yet, in the car, he was the one receiving all of the stony silences and hard glares.  
  
"She's the one that dragged us all down here," he grumbled, pressing the buttons of the remote a little harder than necessary. "Shouldn't some of this blame be directed her way?"  
  
From behind the bathroom door, Angel heard the shower shut off. He could hear her moving around, and knew that she would be coming out any moment. He shifted to sit on the corner of the bed, clicking off the television and tossing the remote onto the small entertainment system.  
  
The door opened, a puff of steam flowing out as Cordelia stepped out, clad only in a pair of burgundy panties and a bra as she ran a towel over her damp hair. "Hey," she threw out casually, tossing the towel on the bed and walking past him to rummage through the clothes she had unpacked into the hotel dresser.  
  
"Hey." Angel leaned back on his hands, trying to appear as casual as she was. "How are you feeling? Still sore? I could give you another backrub tonight."  
  
"Oh, no. I'm fine. Not sore at all." Angel's eyes narrowed at the way she gingerly bent over.  
  
"You were great out there today. And I have to say that I am absolutely a fan of the cheerleading outfit." Angel paused, cocking his head at the way she seemed to be forcing her expression to stay blank. "Xander didn't really get a piece of that, did he?"  
  
Cordelia spared him a quick glance. "Hardly."  
  
"Oh, well that's good." Angel nodded, debating whether or not to call her on her moodiness. Knowing Cordelia, she'd probably just blow him off with the disposition that she was in. It was probably best to soften her up a bit first. "So, ask me how my day was, all crammed inside this little hotel room with all my closest friends."  
  
Angel's hope lightened slightly as the corner's of her mouth lifted slightly, her eyes shining a bit as she stood, a pair of jeans and a t- shirt in her hands. "How was your day, all crammed inside this little hotel room with all of your closest friends?"  
  
Angel ran a rough hand over his face, cringing at the memory. "God, but I've never wished so much for someone to just stake me."  
  
"That much fun, huh?" Cordelia chucked despite herself.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Complete with arguing, stony silences, poker, and gourmet make out sessions." Angel sent her a grim smile. Just keep this up, he told himself. If he could just keep pretending that nothing was wrong, than maybe he wouldn't be sleeping on his own that night.  
  
"Well, it certainly sounds like you had a full day," she said, stepping into her jeans. She reached for the towel, but he snagged her wrist first pulling her toward him.  
  
Angel pulled her to stand in the vee of his legs, his hands lightly caressing up the backs of her thighs. He nuzzled softly against her stomach, waiting for her to stiffen up and pull away, but she simply dropped her hands hesitantly against his shoulders. Not holding him, but not pushing him away. It was something at least.  
  
"You owe me so much for this stupid trip." He could feel the soft laughter rumble against his cheek as he dropped a light kiss against her hip. "I'm thinking its my turn for a brand new wardrobe."  
  
Her giggles erupted as his hands came up to grip her waist, twisting her until she came tumbling into his lap. Angel hooked an arm under her knees and pulled her closer until she was cradled in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck.  
  
"I'll give you the cheerleading outfit," she whispered in his ear, shivering a little as his laughter brushed against her neck. "But I think your hips may be a bit wide for it."  
  
He drew back far enough to look her in the eye. "Is this another fat comment?"  
  
Whatever had had her so upset all evening seemed to have faded away as she smiled brightly at him. "I think that its important in every relationship to stay as honest with each other as we can."  
  
"So, it is a fat comment then." He ran his hand along her thigh and over her hip to softly tickle over the smooth skin of her stomach.  
  
"Well, if the skirt fits. or in this case, doesn't fit at all."  
  
Angel leaned forward, whispering against her open lips. "You know I'm sexy."  
  
Whatever response she had was swallowed as Angel's lips slid over hers. She smiled against his mouth, smoothing her hand across his shoulder and up his neck to tangle in the fine hair at the nape of his neck. Gripping one hand over her hip, Angel pulled her closer, then slid the other hand through her damp hair, shifting the angle of their kiss.  
  
Cordelia sighed heavily against him, quivering a little as his tongue darted out to trace the sensitive skin just inside her lower lip. Her hands danced restlessly across the stiff material of his dress shirt, griping and releasing with each swipe of his tongue.  
  
The hand that held her hip caressed up her side, the cool feel tickling her ribs before stopping at the edge of her bra. The slight callous of his thumb rasped against her skin, pushing up against the material to trace the underswell of one breast.  
  
A ragged gasp blew across Angel's cheek as he trailed kisses along her jaw, stopping to lick the smooth patch of skin just behind her ear. Her own hand had undone the top two buttons of his shirt and now tracked along the curve of his collarbone.  
  
His wandering hands stopped at the clasp of her bra, unsnapping one clip before he felt her stiffen in his arms.  
  
"What's wrong, Cordy?" He nibbled on her earlobe, keeping his voice low and husky in the hopes that if he held onto the mood, she'd let whatever it was go.  
  
Her hand took one last caress across his chest before she pulled back, redoing the buttons of his shirt. "We can't do this right now. You'll be late to meet Buffy."  
  
"Buffy. Right." Angel loosened his grip, pouting as she slid out of his arms and off of his lap. "I guess I should probably get going then, huh?"  
  
Cordelia nodded, the clouds settling back in her eyes as she readjusted her bra and reached for the t-shirt that had dropped from her hands. "Yeah."  
  
Angel stood and rolled his shoulders back to stretch. He watched as Cordelia slipped the shirt over her head and headed for the mirror to pick up her brush. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?" he asked.  
  
"What am I going to do?" She waved the brush at him, one eyebrow raising in that haughty way of hers. "Well, I sure as hell am not going to sit around this place, waiting around like a good little housewife while you head out to hook up with your ex-girl-friend. No siree, mister. I have my own life to lead, and I don't wait around for anyone."  
  
Angel crossed his arms, the corner of his mouth lifting.  
  
"Alright." The hauteur seemed to deflate from her features with the puff of air she blew from her lips. "I'm headed over to Fred's room to watch a movie."  
  
"You wild thing." Angel turned to pick up his coat, sliding it on.  
  
"Well, its sure to be an exciting movie," she said, turning back to the mirror.  
  
Angel came up behind her, popping a quick kiss on her temple. "Are you okay with me going out to talk to Buffy?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Of course, I am." She waved off his question with a flick of her wrist.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah." Her shoulders lifted in a deep sigh. "I understand that you and Buffy have this whole big past thing, and there are probably a billion things that you guys need to discuss. I mean, hello, she still doesn't know who Connor is."  
  
"So, you're okay with it?" Angel stepped back as Cordy hand suddenly flew up, streaking the brush through her hair.  
  
"If I weren't okay with it, would I have suggested you go in the first place?"  
  
Her tone was brisk and hard, but Angel simply shrugged and headed for the door. "Okay. Well, I'll see you in a couple of hours then."  
  
Opening the door, Angel cast one last glance behind him. There was no two ways about it, this trip just really sucked.  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy bounded down the stairs, the heels of her boots clunking with each step. Turning into the living room, she smiled widely at her friends, sprawled in various positions over the furniture. "Anya went home?"  
  
"Yeah. Something about work issues." Xander waved his hand dismissively. "Apparently the vengeance gig requires long and unreasonable hours."  
  
Buffy chuckled softly, perching herself on the edge of the coffee table. "So, what are we doing tonight?" she asked, reaching out to bat Dawn playfully on the knee.  
  
Dawn's eyebrows rose, and she glanced over to Willow for an answer.  
  
"Um, we were just going to stay in and order some pizza, maybe find something foreign and fun to watch." Willow answered, shifting her eyes away from Buffy. "We, uh, we didn't actually expect you to join us."  
  
The pinch of a headache smoothed its way on to Buffy's temples as she tried to sound as casual as possible. "Really? Why? You guys know that I'm all about the pizza and movie night. I live for the pizza and movie night."  
  
"Yeah, we know." Dawn straightened on the couch, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Its just that, with Angel in town and everything, we kind of expected you to be out pretty late."  
  
"Yeah." Xander picked up the television remote and flicked it on. "I'm sure you guys will have a lot of. slaying to keep you busy."  
  
Buffy's eyes darted away from the group to focus on the changing channels of the T.V. "It's actually been really slow out there lately," she answered, keeping her tone light. "I'm pretty sure we won't be out all that long."  
  
"Of course." Willow shifted in her seat, crossing her legs at the knees. "We're just staying in tonight anyway, Buffy, so we'll be here no matter what time you get back in."  
  
Xander nodded, his gaze focused on the flickering channels. "Just can't promise there will be any of that cheesy, gooey goodness left for ya. I'm in the mood for some clogged arteries."  
  
"Right." Buffy stood, taking one last glance at her friends, Xander's clenched jaw, Willow's wide eyes, and Dawn's tight smile. "Well, I guess I'll just see you guys later then."  
  
"Yeah." Dawn propped her feet up on the coffee table in the spot that Buffy had just vacated. "Have fun."  
  
"Oh, and be safe," Willow called.  
  
Buffy shut the door with a quiet click, staring at the dark wood for a minute before heading away from the house.  
  
The night was silent and still and none of her slayer senses were lighting up, but she just couldn't seem to stop the uncomfortably feeling beneath her ribcage. Glancing up toward the street, that uncomfortable feeling spread like a stormy wind.  
  
"Hey, Angel."  
  
TBC 


End file.
